I was told that dreams were our heart’s desires. My nightmares, however, became my obsession.

His name is Michael Crist.

My boyfriend’s older brother is like that scary movie that you peek through your hand to watch. He is handsome, strong, and completely terrifying. The star of his college’s basketball team and now gone pro, he’s more concerned with the dirt on his shoe than me.

But I noticed him.

I saw him. I heard him. The things that he did, and the deeds that he hid…For years, I bit my nails, unable to look away.

Now, I’ve graduated high school and moved on to college, but I haven’t stopped watching Michael. He’s bad, and the dirt I’ve seen isn’t content to stay in my head anymore.

Because he’s finally noticed me.

Michael

Her name is Erika Fane, but everyone calls her Rika.

My brother’s girlfriend grew up hanging around my house and is always at our dinner table. She looks down when I enter a room and stills when I am close. I can always feel the fear rolling off of her, and while I haven’t had her body, I know that I have her mind. That’s all I really want anyway.

Until my brother leaves for the military, and I find Rika alone at college.

In my city.

Unprotected.

The opportunity is too good to be true as well as the timing. Because you see, three years ago she put a few of my high school friends in prison, and now they’re out.

We’ve waited. We’ve been patient. And now every last one of her nightmares will come true.

I love when I read a book and it hits me. Hits me hard. Strikes a cord with me. I love when a book leaves me wanting more. Has me wishing there were more pages to read. Makes me wish the book didn't have to end. CORRUPT is definitely one of those books. If I am being honest, I have to say this is one of my top 5 reads of 2015.

Throughout Corrupt, there are several twists and turns. While reading it, I was on the edge of my seat. I have read hundreds of books. Corrupt is the only book where I cheated and would peak a page or two later in the scene to see what happened. My heart would race, I would read quicker, just to get to the next page. The angst was killing me. With each turn of the page, I found myself more entangled in the web that Penelope created.

Rika is the heroin of the story. I absolutely LOVED her. She had to find her inner strength throughout the entire book. Rika has always been drawn to Michael. Michael was her best friend, Trevor's brother. Rika suffered the loss of her father when she was young. Her mother never recovered from it. Rika found comfort at the Crist's house. For years, Trevor's father wanted to see Trevor and Rika together. Mrs. Crist loved Rika as a daughter. She looked after her, protected her, loved her. Mrs. Crist loved Rika for all the right reasons, her love and concern was genuine, but was everyone else's concern and love genuine?

Rika was always drawn to Michael. Something in her yearned to be near Michael. Michael was a few years older than Rika. He knew she was off limits. He was being patient. She would be eighteen, and then she could make her own decisions. But could she? If given the change, would she chose Michael over Trevor, the brother that she was supposed to be with?

One night changed everything between Michael and Rika. Her curiosity got the best of her. How would Michael react when he found out what Rika did? Would he push her away, like he always had or would he welcome her into his group of friends?

Corrupt if a riveting tale of two lost souls that are drawn to each other. They want the same things, they yearn for the same things. They are so much a like, it scares the two of them. But no matter how much the other pushes, the other one pulls.

When Michael's friend are sent to prison, they want revenge. They want the person who revealed their identity to be punished. They blame Rika.

We'vewaited.

We've been patient.

And now every last one of hernightmares

WILL COME TRUE.

How far will Michael let revenge control him? Will Michael protect Rika from the Horsemen? Will Rika be strong enough to withstand what is thrown her way? When given the chance to run, will she or will she stand strong and fight back? Will Rika trust Michael? Has she ever truly trusted him to begin with?

This review was prepared by Heather. I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Hands down, MORE than a 5 STAR READ !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

INTERVIEW WITH MICHAEL & RIKA

Heather ~ We'd like to thank the two of you for sitting down with Naughty and Nice Book Blog. I have to tell you that I absolutely LOVED your story. When I finished Corrupt, I had a total book hangover. Your story hit me hard. Michael, as much as I wanted to hate you, I absolutely LOVED you. I promise I won't ask anything to make you feel too uncomfortable. So let the fun begin. (I smirk at Michael and give him a raised brow) Michael, why did you fight your feelings for so long for Rika? It was obvious how she felt about you?

"At first, she was too young, I was off at college, and I resented the influence of my father and brother had over her. After that, I held her responsible for my friends, and I didn’t want to want her. "

Michael, at the warehouse when you opened up to Rika on how your felt, why when she asked you to respect her wishes as she was expected to respect your requests, why did you push her away or shall I say crush her?

"Because I thought that what I was asking was reasonable, and she failed to understand. So rather than put us both through hell, the constant interference of my father and the stress of the distance, I decided to cut us both off."

Rika, after all that Michael did to you, how did you manage to forgive him?

"I guess, in a way, my limits with him were always being stretched. There was little I didn’t expect, and it’s incredible what you allow when nothing surprises you anymore. I believe he wouldn’t have let me be hurt, and I know he doesn’t underestimate me anymore. "

Let's talk about the sauna scene? Holy Hottness. That was a total panty melting scene. I have a few questions about it.

Michael, what was going through your mind when she looked over to you before she dropped your shirt?

"I was thinking a lot of things. I was feeling a lot of things. How much I wanted her. How much I wanted to go over the edge with her. How much I wanted time to stop and to have her in my arms.

But mostly how much I loved her and how nothing could ever change that."

You are very protective of Rika, I never pictured you one to share. What changed?

"Nothing changed. What happened between Kai, Rika, and me was between us, and it was between friends in a rare moment when we came together."

Rika, you surprised the hell out of all of us in the Sauna. What made you do what you did? Did you feel a little guilty?

"Should Michael have felt guilty for not putting up a fight about it? Should Kai have felt guilty about coveting his friend’s girl, even for just a little while? We were all responsible, and for different reasons, it was something we all wanted or needed. We didn’t feel shame or guilt. We just dived in and took the moment."

Michael, with the scene at your parents' house, what made you believe Rika over Damon?

"I believed her, because she had the quote my father said, so I knew her story was true. And Damon would’ve known that Kai wasn’t with him that night they drove Rika home. Damon knew Trevor was in the mask."

Michael, the four of you tormented Rika. All of you pushed her to her limits, always tried to break her. You always made sure to step in when you thought she couldn't take anymore. How did that make you feel to see what you guys did to her?

"I don’t think I fully comprehended what we’d put her through until Damon took her to Pithom. At that moment, I realized the situation wasn’t in my control. I never felt like she was in true danger until that time, because deep down I was never going to let anything happen to her. Then, I was truly afraid, and I was losing my mind."

Do you think Rika should have forgiven you, Kai and Will? Especially you?

"When I thought she’d sent my friends to jail and Damon jumped on her at the house, I knew right then, I didn’t care what she’d done to hurt us. I was ready to forgive her. Love entices us to make allowances whether we should or not."

Rika, you are strong. You are fierce. When they pushed you, you had two decisions. You could break, or your could fight back. The strength you had in some of the situations was amazing. What made you trust Michael after all that he did to you?

"I don’t think I truly trusted him until he came for me on Pithom. When I saw how much he needed his friends and how helpless he felt. And what he did to his own brother to keep me safe. He chose me."

Michael and Rika, the two of you have always had a connection that the others didn't see. Or should we say, they refused to acknowledge since your father had an agenda of his own. How are the two of you now?

"We’re still playing. I like taunting Michael when he’s out of town at games, and by the time he gets home, he’s painfully frustrated by my texts. He loves it." ;)

• • • Corrupt ~ Excerpt • • •

I fell back to my feet and crept through my apartment as I listened to the pounding that had now become a steady attack. My feet followed the sound, stepping absently closer to it, and I finally pressed my ear against the wall leading to my hallway, my heart racing as the vibrations touched my skin.

Resting my cheek against the surface, I swallowed the tight lump in my throat as the thumping against the wall grew faster and faster.

There was someone over there. In the empty apartment.

Holding up my phone, I dialed the office downstairs but got no answer. I knew there was a night manager named Simon Something-Or-Other, but I didn’t think many people were on duty at night. He must be away from his desk.

I continued listening, wondering if I could ignore it and just wait until morning to ask the manager about it, but the further down the hall I travelled, the louder it got until I was standing next to the rear entrance.

Opening up the door, I peeked my head into the hallway, holding the heavy steel exit open just enough to inspect.

Glancing to my right, I saw a door just like mine. And then I heard a woman’s high-pitched cry ring out around me, and I started breathing harder.

And then there was another cry. And another, and another, and…

Was she having sex? My mouth fell open as I tried not to laugh.

Oh, my God.

But I thought the place was supposed to be empty.

I stepped out, knife in hand—just in case—and walked quietly down to the other door, glancing up and seeing small security cameras along the wall, probably installed when the apartments were built.

Pressing my ear to the door, I listened, still hearing the thump, thump, thump of something hitting the wall, and the girl’s breathy cries over and over again.

And my face fell, hearing the fear in her voice. The short, shrill screams were now different. Panicked and scared, and her cries sounded struggled. My mouth suddenly went dry as I stood there listening.

“Ah!” she cried out again. “No, please stop!”

I backed away from the door, not finding it funny anymore.

But then something hit the door from the other side, making a loud thud, and I scurried backward. “Oh, shit,” I gritted out under my breath.

I shot my head up to the cameras, now wondering if they fed to Security downstairs or to whoever was inside the apartment. Did they know I was out here?

I spun around and dashed for my door, grabbing the handle and trying to twist it.

But it was locked. “Dammit!” I mouthed. Fucking thing must lock automatically.

I pulled on the door handle again, twisting and yanking, but it didn’t budge.

Another thud hit the door, and I jerked upright, dropping the knife.

“Shit.”

I dived down to pick it up, but just then I heard the other door swing open, so I bolted down the stairwell, hiding behind the wall and forgetting about the knife.

Fuck!

Screw this. Whoever was coming out of the vacant apartment was definitely someone I didn’t want to meet. I dashed down flight after flight, a cry lodged in my throat as fear gripped my chest.

A pounding echoed above me, and I spared a quick glance upward, seeing a hand sliding down the railings as whoever it was jumped flights of stairs.

Oh, my God. I raced down, one flight after the other, a drop of sweat gliding down my neck. The pounding was getting closer and closer, my legs about to give out as my exhausted muscles worked as fast as they could. I gasped, seeing the door labeled LOBBY. I yanked it open and burst through, looking behind me once again to see if he—or she—was behind me.

But then I slammed into a wall, and I let out a small cry as hands gripped my upper arms.

I looked up and exhaled a breath, seeing Michael Crist towering over me, his eyes narrowed.

“Michael?” I breathed out, frozen in confusion.

“What the hell are you doing?” He arched a brow and set me back, away from him, and let go of my arm. “It’s after one a.m.”

I opened my mouth, but nothing came out. Why was he here?

He stood in front of an elevator, a different one than I had taken this morning, dressed in a black suit, looking like he’d just been at a club or something. A young brunette stood next to him, beautiful in a tight, navy-blue cocktail dress that fell mid-thigh.

He slid a hand into his pocket and cocked his head, looking at me point-blank like I was stupid.

I closed my eyes, expelling a sigh. “Of course,” I breathed out, realization hitting. “Of course. You’re the one who lives on the twenty-second floor.”

• • • About Penelope Douglas • • •

Penelope Douglas is the New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal bestselling author of the Fall Away series.She dresses for autumn year round, loves anything lemon flavored, and believes there is too much blood in her Coca Cola stream. Or too much Coca Cola in her blood stream. Or…You know what? It doesn’t matter. She loves Coke. Now you know.She lives in Las Vegas with her husband and daughter.

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